Category: Classical
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Stimmwerck: Flos Virginum, Motets Of The 15th Century
As far as we’re concerned you can’t go wrong with heavenly voices from the 15th century (at least, modern musicians singing heavenly music from the C15th), and this is about as good as it gets. Admittedly there’s not a lot of variation but Stimmwerck, a German vocal quartet, prove that the human voice is the…
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Nicolas Godin: Contrepoint
Godin is half of Air (insert molecule joke here) and he’s based this new album on Glenn Gould, who was obsessed with Johann Sebastian Bach. Gould’s award-winning CDs include a version of The Goldberg Variations that is possibly one of the best albums ever made, in any genre. Gould is noted for his rejection of…
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August Klughardt: Symphony No 4
We’ve been enjoying this CD (performed by the Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau, with Antony Hermus). It’s got all the elements you expect from grandiose classical music but a lightness of touch and joi de vivre that make it easier to digest than some of the “great” works by the “masters”. German-born Klughardt was no slouch: he…
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Nicholas Marshall: Songs and Chamber Music
It’s not just rock CDs that we misplace; this classical recording came out a few months ago but we, er, temporarily filed it in the wrong place (though when “down the back of the desk” is ever the right place, we don’t know). It’s actually got a fair amount of local interest: it features the…
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Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra: Beck: Symphonies Op.2
The title suggests orchestra but the music here is played by Canada’s Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra, which, as its name suggests is 13 strong (plus conductor Kevin Mallon). The result is a tight performance of these works, producing a pleasing CD. Franz Ignaz Beck was composing just before the “classical” period and the works performed,…
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Amadeus Guitar Duo: Baroque Moments
The joy of getting CDs you’d never normally come across is that of discovery and we were curiously pleased to find the Amadeus Guitar Duo, a husband and wife mini-industry (though perhaps not so mini, they probably have the castle next door to Andre Rieu) who between them have churned out close to 20 albums…
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José Antonio Escobar: Luis Milan: El Maestro
Ah, just to be known as “El Maestrao” eh? Not that’s he’s around to appreciate it: Luis died in 1561 and was a Spanish Renaissance composer. He was a vihuelist, which is what people were before they became guitarists: the vihuela is a guitar-shaped string instrument from 15th and 16th century Spain, Portugal and Italy.…
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Villa-Lobos: Guitar Manuscripts Vol 3
Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, described as “the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music,” at least by Wikipedia, our go-to guide for classical advice. A prolific composer, he wrote numerous orchestral, chamber and instrumental works and often infused his music with the sounds of Brazilian folk or street music. Originally…
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Accademia Daniel: Graupner – Concerti e Musica di tavola
There’s nothing more to say about this album other than it’s a delight. It’s not an album that’s intellectually challenging and the music doesn’t seem to operate on a deep level, it is just pleasurable. It’s music for festivities and pleasure, and 300 years or so after it was written, it’s as pleasurable now as…
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